6 Responses to 1960: Hallbeck’s OP Skaggs Food Store Sold

Yes, Ralph’s Red Owl was open from 1960 until about 1979 where O’Reilly Auto Parts is located. In small towns like Worthington, sometimes the mere mention of a store from years ago will bring up memories and stories, most of which cannot be printed in the newspaper or posted here.

The Red Owl store was a favorite of my mom & her sister, lifelong Worthington residents. One day when I accompanied my mom to Red Owl, we found the entrance severely damaged. The double glass doors were smashed, glass was everywhere, the door frames were twisted, & products stacked at the entrance were strewn around as if hit by a tornado. I said to my mom, “Looks like someone decided to drive right into the store.”

As we were fondling the produce, the store manager came up to my mom and said, “Mrs. T., I hope your sister is OK.” Mom asked what he was talking about. “Well, isn’t Mrs. K. your sister? She drove her car right into the front of the store.”

My mom–always a stickler for proper behavior, always eager to avoid any kind of embarrassment–abruptly ended our shopping trip, headed out of the store & told me to stop laughing. My aunt was OK, but for the rest of her life became very upset at any reminder of her misadventure. And as I’ve aged & lost my teen-aged conceit about my infallible driving skills, I’ve become much more sympathetic to my aunt’s distress.